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[sundrenched]

Does anyone have any issue or feel like shit after starting on a low carb diet?

For some reason today is terrible for me and I have a pounding headache right now coupled with general lethargy. I've been low carbing and exercising for the past 2 days so I don't know whether it could be a factor.

Or it could be my interrupted sleep for the past few days, due to having a new pillow that is a bit too high for my neck. Or maybe stress cos a lot of my deadlines are cingular up soon...

To the poster above: yeahgenerally i feel like shit after I eat a mars bars. Then I exercise and wonder what the hell did I stuff into my mouth. Then a few days later I'll crave for sweet things, which is a lot more intense these days since I started my low carb diet.

Anyone has this tendency to binge when your bored? How do u deal with it??

 

[Yoboman]

Does anyone have any issue or feel like shit after starting on a low carb diet?

For some reason today is terrible for me and I have a pounding headache right now coupled with general lethargy. I've been low carbing and exercising for the past 2 days so I don't know whether it could be a factor.

Or it could be my interrupted sleep for the past few days, due to having a new pillow that is a bit too high for my neck. Or maybe stress cos a lot of my deadlines are cingular up soon...

To the poster above: yeahgenerally i feel like shit after I eat a mars bars. Then I exercise and wonder what the hell did I stuff into my mouth. Then a few days later I'll crave for sweet things, which is a lot more intense these days since I started my low carb diet.

Anyone has this tendency to binge when your bored? How do u deal with it??

Carbs give you energy, it's just something you'll have to adjust to

 

[J Tourettes]

Does anyone have any issue or feel like shit after starting on a low carb diet?

For some reason today is terrible for me and I have a pounding headache right now coupled with general lethargy. I've been low carbing and exercising for the past 2 days so I don't know whether it could be a factor.

Or it could be my interrupted sleep for the past few days, due to having a new pillow that is a bit too high for my neck. Or maybe stress cos a lot of my deadlines are cingular up soon...

To the poster above: yeahgenerally i feel like shit after I eat a mars bars. Then I exercise and wonder what the hell did I stuff into my mouth. Then a few days later I'll crave for sweet things, which is a lot more intense these days since I started my low carb diet.

Anyone has this tendency to binge when your bored? How do u deal with it??

The first up to five days can suck but it get's better after that with the ehadaches, lethargy etc.

 

[BronzeWolf]

So they want to have their cake and eat it, too, huh?

I've pretty much come to accept that a lowcarb diet is a compromising one and you have to deal with proper comfort foods as treats rather than something to eat every day.

I'd say its better to just find tasty lowcarb choices and dont fool myself into thinking they in any way replace pizza and danishes and stuff like that, which I still eat sparingly as treats.

If you want us to list a bunch of tasty lowcarb foods/recipes, then cool, but none of them are gonna be as 'comforting' as proper comfort food. My two suggestions:

- Cheesy scrambled eggs
- Baked hot wings

Pan fried bacon.
Extra Dark Chocolate 85%+
Beef Jerky
Imported 2+ (Stravecchio) years aged Parmesan Italian/Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Seasoned Sirloin Steak

I'm telling you guys, you cannot go half way with this stuff. Abandon the grain/sugar culture. In order to successfully do this, you need to learn to cook. That doesn't mean cake and spaghetti substitutes. It means 30+ spices in your kitchen, fresh meats, green leafy vegetables, root vegetables, fatty vegetables/fruits (avocado), proper fats (lard, bacon, coconut, pastured butter, etc), Extra virgin olive oil, various vinegars, recipes, storage, and patience. After a while your previous comfort foods (cakes, pastries) will be overly sweet and bland salty shit.

OK rename comfort food for Snacks!

I want to get snacks! And those are perfect

Also what's in dark chocolate that it's so good? How can I know it's good chocolate?

 

[Guileless]

My low carb comfort food is a medium rare porterhouse and creamed spinach. Go nuts and have a glass of red wine. Eat that and no more cravings that day.

 

[sundrenched]

My low carb comfort food is a medium rare porterhouse and creamed spinach. Go nuts and have a glass of red wine. Eat that and no more cravings that day.

eh that sounds really fatty and greasy. Every time I eat overly creamy stuff I just feel so nauseous and oily like I'm a piece of sludge creeping along the floor. Just I'm just not used to it :/

 

[pubba]

I moved house a month ago, and stopped doing my daily 3-4km jog

I've stayed on a low carb diet though, and today checked the scales. I still managed to lose 3kg in the last month which surprised me.

I'm down from 120+kg to 103.2 today. Good times

My appetite has dropped remarkably. When I started, I was needing low carb snacks throughout the day. Now I just eat 3 meals and rarely get hungry between them.

 

[SnakeSlashRO]

I posted some pics early on in the thread, around page 11,12,13 or so...

Im trying a cutting diet now and it's working nicely... Sadly I got sick the other day and

Have been drinking nothing but orange juice for the past two or three days, and I'm worried

It might mess up my progress... I tried working out when I was sick, I couldn't do it....

 

[Price Dalton]

OK rename comfort food for Snacks!

I want to get snacks! And those are perfect

Also what's in dark chocolate that it's so good? How can I know it's good chocolate?

Cocoa contains a really interesting polyphenol called epicatechin that has a ton of beneficial effects, namely in reducing lipid oxidation, increasing HDL, and improving heart disease. If you do a search for epicatechin on pubmed you'll get hundreds of links for all sorts of stuff (cancer, inflammation, etc). There are other compounds with potentially beneficial effects, but epicatechin is the most studied.

Most studies use dark chocolate, so the darker the better. 85% cocoa and above is generally high quality and low sugar. There's some concern that processing of any kind breaks down the polyphenol content, so if you're only concerned about the health benefits, ordering raw cacao nibs are probably the best bet. If you're getting powder, look for "non-alkalized" powder. Alkalization removes the bitterness and, thus, many of the polyphenols.

Here's a solid brand: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ELL9GI/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Cacao also has a good amount of magnesium, about 130mg per 100g.

The cheapest way is to probably just buy baker's chocolate, which is pure cocoa with no sugar at all (it isn't raw, though).

 

[Akim]

I think I'm losing it. I just woke up from having a dream about fettuccine and garlic fries.

 

[LogicStep]

I think I'm losing it. I just woke up from having a dream about fettuccine and garlic fries.

:lol
Go eat some, it's ok to cheat once in a while. For you guys to have an easier time, you could set a day of the week where you go eat whatever you want for a meal, preferably lunch so that you can stay sane.

 

[stewy]

What's a good low-carb diet?

 

[Domino Theory]

OK rename comfort food for Snacks!

I want to get snacks! And those are perfect

Also what's in dark chocolate that it's so good? How can I know it's good chocolate?

I buy Lindt's 85% Dark Chocolate from Safeway at least once a week. So damn good and only 5g net carbs per serving (12.5g net carbs if you have the whole pack): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HQNBSU/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

I buy Lindt's 85% Dark Chocolate from Safeway at least once a week. So damn good and only 5g net carbs per serving (12.5g net carbs if you have the whole pack): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HQNBSU/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Man it's sad the only treats I give myself are peanuts and pretzels. LOVE THE SALT!

 

[betweenthewheels]

I buy Lindt's 85% Dark Chocolate from Safeway at least once a week. So damn good and only 5g net carbs per serving (12.5g net carbs if you have the whole pack): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HQNBSU/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I usually go for the 75%, and have a couple after dinner with my coffee. It satisfies my sweet tooth.

Also, I think i've hit a plateau on my low-carb. I'm down from 230lbs-204lbs and i've been at 204 for a few weeks.

Any tips to push through it?

 

[teh_pwn]

Does anyone have any issue or feel like shit after starting on a low carb diet?

For some reason today is terrible for me and I have a pounding headache right now coupled with general lethargy. I've been low carbing and exercising for the past 2 days so I don't know whether it could be a factor.

Or it could be my interrupted sleep for the past few days, due to having a new pillow that is a bit too high for my neck. Or maybe stress cos a lot of my deadlines are cingular up soon...

To the poster above: yeahgenerally i feel like shit after I eat a mars bars. Then I exercise and wonder what the hell did I stuff into my mouth. Then a few days later I'll crave for sweet things, which is a lot more intense these days since I started my low carb diet.

Anyone has this tendency to binge when your bored? How do u deal with it??

There is an adjustment period. The more insulin resistant you are, the more of a high carb diet dependency you have. It will go away in time (up to 2 weeks for total adjustment).

I guess this depends on how low carb you're going. Heavy ketosis is an odd state (< 20 grams) because your body is making lots of ketones for your brain to function.

You can avoid this if you want to go moderately low carb. More vegetables, fruits, and occasionally you could have something like a small potato - probably the safest of the modern starches.

 

[Domino Theory]

I usually go for the 75%, and have a couple after dinner with my coffee. It satisfies my sweet tooth.

Also, I think i've hit a plateau on my low-carb. I'm down from 230lbs-204lbs and i've been at 204 for a few weeks.

Any tips to push through it?

Binge to all hell for one day or water fast for two days.

 

[MarkMclovin]

Does anyone have any issue or feel like shit after starting on a low carb diet?

For some reason today is terrible for me and I have a pounding headache right now coupled with general lethargy. I've been low carbing and exercising for the past 2 days so I don't know whether it could be a factor.

Or it could be my interrupted sleep for the past few days, due to having a new pillow that is a bit too high for my neck. Or maybe stress cos a lot of my deadlines are cingular up soon...

Anyone has this tendency to binge when your bored? How do u deal with it??

Started Induction on Atkins on Saturday. Sunday I felt like shit. Terrible headache that lasted all day, shakes, cold sweats, but I've no idea if was anything to do with taking the carbs away (as it was only a day), but Monday I felt much better.

I have noticed now that I am in Ketosis, that I have no cravings at all. In fact, I only eat now because I feel I have to, really strange. Also, I'm fucking hot, like all the time, and it gets hotter in waves throughout the day. My breath is terrible and I have a constant taste in my mouth. I do feel slightly tired during the day when I've done a few miles walk and I fall asleep on the sofa, but apart from that, it's all good.

Are you drinking more water than usual? Or maybe the exercising is too much at this stage?

 

[BronzeWolf]

how do I know if I am at ketosis?

I get VERY thirsty when I lower my carbs to <50 grams. Is that it?

 

[EviLore]

how do I know if I am at ketosis?

I get VERY thirsty when I lower my carbs to <50 grams. Is that it?

 

[Akim]

Another update from me!

Spoiler

I doubt anyone cares, but it's more my livejournal anyhow

October 1: 244

October 29: 235


I went to the doctor today, and they were pretty surprised by the change. They had my last weigh in at 298 pounds. I'm kinda proud, but I still look disgusting, which gets me down. I'm gonna cheat bad on Halloween too. Now I gotta wait for my bloodwork to get back to make sure I'm healthy.

 

[Rubenov]

GAF, after months of not straying, I finally did it. I had a slice of blueberry cheesecake.

I devoured it slowly, tasting every last bit of it while my salivary glands squirted furiously, as if celebrating the return of that foreign sugary substance that had been absent from my mouth for so long. I remembered how heavenly this stuff can be, and for a second I was surprised at myself for holding out for so long. Then, as I finish my last bite and lay down my plastic spoon, a sudden feeling of shame and regret hit me. Even as I ferociously hit the weights an hour later, I still couldn't shake that shameful feeling.

Forgive me, low-carb GAF, for I have sinned.

 

[betweenthewheels]

Forgive me, low-carb GAF, for I have sinned.

Ya know what they say, if you're craving carbs bad then have some, it's not gonna ruin the diet.

Though I feel your pain, if I got over my allotted carbs I say "fuck it" for the day and push more down my gullet...

 

[elrechazado]

What's a good low-carb diet?

eating food without carbs in it.

 

[NIGHT-]

Ok gaf I just signed up for a gym membership. Problem is I have no idea what I should start with or how to properly use any of the equipment. I'm about 5'11 and 164 lbs. I'm not overweight by any means but I do have a little bit of extra flap per say that I would like to get rid of. I'm also want to beef up my arms and legs. Any help at all would be great!

 

[J Tourettes]

eating food without carbs in it.

:lol

 

[Coeliacus]

I have been reading this thread on and off for ages, just as a motivator to not be a sloth and order take away food. I didn't feel like posting though because saying it openly that I wanna keep a regular schedule and then failing to do so will just kick my arse.

My housemate recently bought an exercise bike though, and the last few days I've really taken to it. It's made me realise that I'm not that fond of exercising out in the open (gym, or running outside).

As for food, I can still be pretty slack, but I've at least cut down on the bad stuff. I usually buy a wrap for lunch (salad and chicken) and just mix some vegetables and rice for dinner, or baked beans if I'm lazy, which happens often enough. The hardest thing has been cutting down on midnight sandwiches, but I have started sleeping better.

I'll post photos when I get home from work. I'm naturally fairly skinny but I've developed a beer gut and a weak chin over the last couple of years that I want to get rid of. My main concern though, which I've always had is my weedy geek posture, and I'm guessing the bike and some push ups aren't gonna fix that.

Big respect to all of you who have the willpower to do this. We have a shared food area here at work that usually has chocolate/donuts and other crap. It's so hard for my hands to not wander when I walk passed it. :s

 

[Price Dalton]

I have been reading this thread on and off for ages, just as a motivator to not be a sloth and order take away food. I didn't feel like posting though because saying it openly that I wanna keep a regular schedule and then failing to do so will just kick my arse.

My housemate recently bought an exercise bike though, and the last few days I've really taken to it. It's made me realise that I'm not that fond of exercising out in the open (gym, or running outside).

As for food, I can still be pretty slack, but I've at least cut down on the bad stuff. I usually buy a wrap for lunch (salad and chicken) and just mix some vegetables and rice for dinner, or baked beans if I'm lazy, which happens often enough. The hardest thing has been cutting down on midnight sandwiches, but I have started sleeping better.

I'll post photos when I get home from work. I'm naturally fairly skinny but I've developed a beer gut and a weak chin over the last couple of years that I want to get rid of. My main concern though, which I've always had is my weedy geek posture, and I'm guessing the bike and some push ups aren't gonna fix that.

Big respect to all of you who have the willpower to do this. We have a shared food area here at work that usually has chocolate/donuts and other crap. It's so hard for my hands to not wander when I walk passed it. :s

Posture: do you work at a computer? If so, try to transition to a standing desk. I work behind a computer all day, but I stay on my feet. Working from home makes this easier, but I'm sure you could petition to get a standing desk at the office.

There's a fair amount of research suggesting that not only does sitting lead to poor health and posture, but that staying on your feet improves cognition, too.

 

[Ripclawe]

I don't get it. Last couple of days because of a couple of halloween parties, I ate 5 cupcakes, 2 slices of double chocolate cake, 4 mini cinnamon rolls, 3 Krispy Kreme donuts on top of my chicken wraps, protein shakes, turkey/chicken sandwiches of healthy eating of 2400 calories a day.

I lost 2 fricking pounds when I did my weekly weigh in. The hell?

The last 4 weeks even taking off a week because of injury from weight lifting on the same diet, zero weight loss.

drinking 8 cups of water a day as well.

Did I jumpstart my metabolism or something?

 

[HallucinatingElvis]

For those on low-carb, do you find after a day of cheating you feel like shit the next day?

I'm never gassy on low carb, but once I eat carbs I feel bloated, gassy and generally shitty. Wondering if I just have a sensitive stomach.

absolutely, I feel rundown, cranky and I spend most of the day on the shitter.

 

[Coeliacus]

Posture: do you work at a computer? If so, try to transition to a standing desk. I work behind a computer all day, but I stay on my feet. Working from home makes this easier, but I'm sure you could petition to get a standing desk at the office.

There's a fair amount of research suggesting that not only does sitting lead to poor health and posture, but that staying on your feet improves cognition, too.

That's... not gonna happen. :lol
I work IT support for a large chain of retail stores. The bulk of my work is sitting at my desk taking short phone calls unless I'm testing equipment or helping somebody in the office. I also don't have a permanent desk of my own to begin with... I guess I should've just mentioned that first.

I am coming up with ways to lead a less sedentary lifestyle, but sadly my job doesn't help much. I was thinking more along the lines of exercise, stretches or even good habits that might help?

 

[Domino Theory]

I don't get it. Last couple of days because of a couple of halloween parties, I ate 5 cupcakes, 2 slices of double chocolate cake, 4 mini cinnamon rolls, 3 Krispy Kreme donuts on top of my chicken wraps, protein shakes, turkey/chicken sandwiches of healthy eating of 2400 calories a day.

I lost 2 fricking pounds when I did my weekly weigh in. The hell?

The last 4 weeks even taking off a week because of injury from weight lifting on the same diet, zero weight loss.

drinking 8 cups of water a day as well.

Did I jumpstart my metabolism or something?

Low carb diet? Sometimes it's good to go on these binges. I've heard from many places that it "resets" your body's metabolism and what not when you take a day or two to eat carb-heavy foods and doesn't allow your body to get used to your low-carb dieting (which helps).

Since Friday, I've been having a lot of candy for the sake of Halloween. I'll be back on track tomorrow.

 

[Seanspeed]

DONT do it, guys. I've binged badly this weekend on candy and whatever. Scale says 6 pounds gained.

 

[ch0mp]

I wouldn't worry too much, if you're on low carb. It sets you back but it will be gone in a few days.

 

[Fjord]

Sorry I took so long: http://www.falconblanco.com/health/fasting.htm

That is best website I've found so far that goes into detail about water fasting, juice fasting, what happens to your body during a fast, etc.

There are more if you'd like (most of which come from Dr. Ben Kim).

I'm going to start by doing it 2 days a week in a row for a few weeks until I get used to it.

Hmm with my biology background this really started to set off some bullshit alarms. Ran it by my nutritionist girlfriend:

[9:32:51 PM] Amber : two sentences in not accurate
[9:33:35 PM] Amber : the body won't consume 'vital' tissue, but actually it will, it will start to eat away at your liver and other muscular organs because the energy is readily available
[9:34:05 PM] Amber : and you don't really burn fat exclusively. and you can only target it if you are working at an appropriate metabolic level
[9:34:56 PM] William : go onnnn
[9:35:02 PM] Amber : the stuff about toxins sounds really sketchy too
[9:35:29 PM] Amber : i mean your body is trained to control foreign material
[9:36:06 PM] Amber : diarrhea is usually the result of osmosis imbalance or because there is an excess of baterial growth due to the killing of bacteria in the first place
[9:36:27 PM] William : but toxins Amber, toxins!
[9:38:22 PM] Amber : but the body takes care of them
[9:39:36 PM] Amber : 'microscopic tubes that carry vital elements to the brain'....what?
[9:40:52 PM] Amber : 'To overcome a severe disease like cancer, it is important to continue through a series of fasts, to the point where the full scouring action of catabolism removes the disease from the tissue'
you mean like cutting off the food supply to every cell so that you induce cytolysis? like tissue death... like non-specific tissue death? like dying...?
[9:41:43 PM] Amber : 'During extended fasts the body removes: dead, dying and diseased cells; unwanted fatty tissue, trans-fatty acids' i'm quite sure that is false about the trans-fatty acids.... trans fats create a plaque that is formed within the blood vessel walls
[9:41:55 PM] Amber : it becomes a part of the cell wall
[9:42:19 PM] Amber : and did you not notice this is all in comic sans?
[9:43:00 PM] William : ok I didn't read the part where it cured cancer

 

[Akim]

DONT do it, guys. I've binged badly this weekend on candy and whatever. Scale says 6 pounds gained.

There's no way you actually gained 6 pounds just from the weekend.

 

[Fjord]

There's no way you actually gained 6 pounds just from the weekend.

Isn't that what usually happens? Carbs let your muscles store glycogen which hold 7X their weight in water. It'll disappear as fast as it came.

 

[Messi]

Thread needs more pics

Ok gaf, someone gave me some pics of me from the past few years to try and help me understand what I have lost. I started losing weight in march. Before that I was about 364 pounds and 6'6. I am now 253 pounds.

All pics were taken on holidays exactly 1 year apart:

Me in 2008:

Me in 2009:

Me in 2010 August:

My face now:

So needless to say gaf I was kinda stunned. :lol

 

[BronzeWolf]

epic and inspiring

 

[Messi]

tis kinda epic...it is really hilarious how I was not able to see much of a difference in myself...sure I felt kinda different but I was not aware how much I had changed. Also no one calls me hurley anymore which to be honest is a bonus.

 

[Stridone]

First thing I thought of:

Good job!

EDIT: Goddamnit didn't read the post above me.:lol

 

[Messi]

Hahaha... that was awesome. you would not believe how easy it was to pick up girls because I looked like hurley. I am on so many cameras around the world from my nights out on holidays.

But secretly inside it made me really sad when anyone called me it. essentially I was being called an incredibly obese assumed jolly person. I was both of course but it still hurt.

 

[CaptainABAB]

DONT do it, guys. I've binged badly this weekend on candy and whatever. Scale says 6 pounds gained.

Same here - we had a party Saturday night and had a ton of pizza left-over. I had pizza during the party and had it for breakfast/lunch/dinner yesterday. Sorry, but it was from pepe's here in CT.

I checked this morning and the scale was up to 276 - I was around 268 a few days ago.

I've been doing a very strict low-carb diet since July and the scale has never fluctuated by more than 1-2 pounds until now.

 

[funkmastergeneral]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm eating bread I want to be getting whole grain and not whole wheat flour, correct? That seems pretty deceptive.

 

[Shaneus]

Pretty sure you should shoot for rye before going any of the "regular" breads.

 

[HarryHengst]

I've almost reached my first gym-goal, which is being able to squat my own weight (165 pound), which is pretty motivating in itself (when i started i struggled with 80 pound :lol ) . Need to add 10 more pounds to reach my goal, but i'm starting to struggle longer with each added pound so it'll still take a few weeks i guess.

However, I did 155 pound today, but my form was suffering from it. Especially my knees, which start to turn inwards more instead of being parallel to my toes. As far as i could check today it is a problem which i do not have with lower weights. I guess this is just a matter of having quads which are just too weak for the load? Should i deload a bit and work up again or stay at this weight for a few sessions until i can do all reps with good form?

 

[Struct09]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm eating bread I want to be getting whole grain and not whole wheat flour, correct? That seems pretty deceptive.

Whole wheat is a whole grain. If the bread is 100% whole wheat, it is then a whole grain bread. The tricky breads are those labeled as "made with whole grains", which usually implies they added a little bit of whole grain/wheat flour in with their usual refined flour.

If you want to try an awesome type of bread, look for sprouted grain. It can be a little more expensive, but it's not made with flour and is really delicious.

 

[Stridone]

I've almost reached my first gym-goal, which is being able to squat my own weight (165 pound), which is pretty motivating in itself (when i started i struggled with 80 pound :lol ) . Need to add 10 more pounds to reach my goal, but i'm starting to struggle longer with each added pound so it'll still take a few weeks i guess.

However, I did 155 pound today, but my form was suffering from it. Especially my knees, which start to turn inwards more instead of being parallel to my toes. As far as i could check today it is a problem which i do not have with lower weights. I guess this is just a matter of having quads which are just too weak for the load? Should i deload a bit and work up again or stay at this weight for a few sessions until i can do all reps with good form?

Do as many reps as you can with good form. If you can't get the form right, don't do another rep. Deload if you still can't get all your reps after 3 workouts.

I think we should be in the fitness thread though.

 

[teh_pwn]

Same here - we had a party Saturday night and had a ton of pizza left-over. I had pizza during the party and had it for breakfast/lunch/dinner yesterday. Sorry, but it was from pepe's here in CT.

I checked this morning and the scale was up to 276 - I was around 268 a few days ago.

I've been doing a very strict low-carb diet since July and the scale has never fluctuated by more than 1-2 pounds until now.

Pizza is pretty bad for your waist, but you may have only gained a couple of pounds. If you're insulin resistant, insulin levels are higher than normal and that causes the kidney to retain more salt, which causes the body to retain more water. Combine that with the salt content of pizza, it's pretty easy to add 5 lbs of water weight.

 

[grumble]

Pizza is pretty bad for your waist, but you may have only gained a couple of pounds. If you're insulin resistant, insulin levels are higher than normal and that causes the kidney to retain more salt, which causes the body to retain more water. Combine that with the salt content of pizza, it's pretty easy to add 5 lbs of water weight.

Well, he's probably also upped his glycogen stores, which means water retention. For every gram of glycogen, expect another four of water.